Slow Cooker: Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

A 4-pound chicken, cut into individual pieces (or can use b/s chicken breast)
2-3 TB flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TB chopped shallots
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 cup Italian tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp sweet marjoram
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Directions:

• Dredge chicken pieces into flour.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute chicken until golden brown. 
• Place chicken and the rest of the ingredients into a 5-6.5 quart slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
• Serve with rice or potatoes

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Stew- YUMMY!!

This is one of our family's favorite cold weather dishes.  It is easy, and I usually have everything on hand. I make a big batch because my kids love to take it in their lunches the next day, and I love it as leftovers as well.  Give it a try!  This recipe was handed down from my husbands family. 

Stew
2 pounds boneless stew meat (brown in a small amount of oil)
2 medium onions, diced or sliced
1 cup celery, cut in large pieces
6 cups carrots, cut in bite size pieces
4-6 potatoes, cut in large chunks

Place in slow cooker in layers in order given.  Sprinkle top with:
2 TB Minute Tapioca
1 TB sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix 1 can tomato soup with 1 can of water.  Pour over top of ingredients.  DO NOT STIR.  Cover tightly and cook on Low for at least 5 hours.  Can also cook in the oven at 275 degrees for at least 5 hours.  YUMMY!

Slow Cooker: Mexican Style Pot Roast

1 TB salad oil
3 medium garlic cloves
1 (3-pound) beef chuck or rump roast
4 medium, hot red or hot green peppers, diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 (16 oz) can tomato puree
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 TB sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4 medium green peppers, cut into quarters
1 (10 oz) package frozen whole kernel corn

Slow Cooker: 5-5.5 quart or 6-6.5 quart size

Directions
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add roast to skillet and brown on all sides. Remove meat to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add onions and hot peppers and cook until tender.
Combine all ingredients except corn into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. Add frozen corn during the last few minutes of cooking time.

Recipe used with permission by Ginger Hack (presenter of Gourmet Crock Pot class)

Slow cooker: Classic Swiss Fondue

Classic Swiss Fondue
1 garlic clove, halved
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 TB lemon juice
1 pound natural Swiss cheese, grated
3 TB all purpose flour
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Slow cooker: 3-3.5 quart, or 4-4.5 quart

Directions:

1. Rub inside of stoneware with garlic; discard garlic.
2. In a saucepan, heat wine until hot but not boiling. Add the lemon juice.
3. Thoroughly mix the flour into grated cheese. Drop cheese mixture by handfuls into hot wine while stirring constantly. Add pepper and nutmeg.
4. Place cheese mixture into stoneware and heat on high for 30 minutes. Decrease heat to low.
5. Serve fondue by spearing chunks of bread into cheese using long forks.
   

Slow Cooker Artichoke Cheese Dip

Artichoke Cheese Dip
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not the canister type)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or a 4 oz can chopped green chilies)
2 cloves garlic, minced

Recommended size of slow-cooker: 3-4.5 quart

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
   
2. Cover; cook about 1-2 hours on low.
3. Serve on sliced baguettes (toast them with butter under the broiler), or with crusty sourdough bread.
   

Crock Pot Cooking: General Information

I have always enjoyed using a crock pot. On those days when I have to work, or when I have a hectic day, the crock pot always comes to the rescue. This past week I was able to attend a "Gourmet Crock Pot" class, given by the USU Extension in Provo, UT. The presenter was Ginger Hack who is a fabulous cook. After the class I asked her if I could post her recipes on this blog, and she enthusiastically said Yes! So, all the upcoming posts on crock pot recipes are used with permission by Ginger.

How do I convert cook times between High and Low?

	High	Low
	3 hours	7 hours
	4	8
	5	9
	6	10
	7	11
	8	12

It is not recommended to convert recipes with cook times less than 7-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.

To time an adapted recipe for the slow cooker, edtimate 3-4 hours on low for every hour of conventional cooking. Estimate about 2-2.5 hours on high for each hour of conventional cooking.

Great foods to cook in slow cooker:

• tough cuts of beef (rump, chuck, stew meat)
• stews
• soups
• chili
• braised foods
• steamed puddings
• pork roasts, or loin
• poultry

Foods that don't work particularly well:

• fish
• duck
  
• prime rib
• cheese & dairy dishes (although if you keep it on low, use evap. milk or heavy cream, it will work better. Heavy cream and evap milk are both more stable than regular milk in the cooker)

Using a slow cooker for 10 hours costs approximately 8-10 cents. You can't beat that!!

Upcoming slow cooker recipes: Artichoke Cheese Dip, Classic Swiss Fondue, Mexican Style Pot Roast, Chicken Cacciatore, Beef Bourguignonne, Steak Diane, Chicken Casablanca, Slow Cooker French Cassoulet, Jambalaya, Chicken Seville, Potatoes Euphoria, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Roasted Summer Squash with Pine Nuts & Romano Cheese, Cinnamon Ginger Pears, Stuffed Apples with Maple-Rum Butterscotch (my favorite!), and more!